Unveiling the chemical composition and bioactivity potential of the essential oil of Alpinia glabra Ridl. (Zingiberaceae).

This study investigated the chemical composition, antifungal, antibiofilm and anticholinesterase inhibitory activities of the essential oil from Alpinia glabra Ridl. (Zingiberaceae) from Malaysia. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation and analysed using gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), revealing 35 chemical components comprising 98.3% of the total oil. The major components identified were β-cadinene (28.5%), benzaldehyde (8.0%), δ-cadinene (6.0%), (E)-nerolidol (5.4%), α-cadinol (4.8%), and viridiflorol (4.0%). Antifungal tests against Candida albicans (ATCC MYA-4901) and Streptococcus mutans (Ingbritt) showed MIC values of 250 µg/mL. The essential oil increased the biofilm of Candida albicans by 42.14%, however, decreased the biofilm of Streptococcus mutans by 64.41% when treated with 500 µg/mL. The essential oil exhibited moderate anticholinesterase activity with 48.5% and 57.2% inhibition of acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase, respectively, at 500 µg/mL. These findings highlight the potential applications of A. glabra essential oil in antifungal, antibiofilm and anticholinesterase therapies.